


She... Loves Me?

by CoffeeComicsGalore



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Episode Rewrite: s03e23 Felix, Episode Rewrite: s03e24 Ladybug, Episode Rewrite: s03e25 Heart Hunter, Episode Rewrite: s03e26 Miracle Queen, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Love Confessions, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Post-Episode: S3 Felix, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, TV Special: Miraculous World: New York, Tags May Change, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:02:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23101081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeComicsGalore/pseuds/CoffeeComicsGalore
Summary: When Felix deleted the video his friends made him, Adrien reaches out and thanks his friends anyways. Alya and Nino decide to send Adrien the video again knowing that Marinette confessed her feelings in it.How will Adrien react when his "very good friend" is actually in love with him?  Will his feelings come out to explore or will he choose to sit in the sidelines as he figures out these confusing new feelings burying a hole in his heart?This takes place directly after the episode Felix. There will be chapters on Ladybug, Heart Hunter, and Miracle Queen with some canon divergence in some parts.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Comments: 198
Kudos: 488





	1. Thanks Felix

“Pew, pew!” Alya and Nino exclaimed as they defeated their latest game of Super Penguino. Their laughter abruptly stopped as an incoming video came in through the group chat. 

“Oh, hey. It’s Adrien.” Alya said as she pressed the message. 

**_Hey guys! I... never got your messages, but I’m really touched just knowing that you were thinking of me today. You are the best friends that anyone could ever dream of. I love you, all of you._ **

Alya smiled as she ended the video and slid the phone in her pocket. “That was really sweet of Adrien.” 

“Yeah. My bro has a heart of gold. I’m just glad that it wasn’t him who sent that awful video to us.” He pulled the cap off to scratch his head.” I know my bro. There was no way he would have said any of that hate.” 

Alya frowned. “I can’t believe I doubted him for a hot minute. What was I even thinking?” 

“You, Juleka, and Rose were holding onto the tablet when the akuma came. At least one of you were upset that Adrien would have even said anything like this. It didn’t matter if you knew or didn’t. That small moment was just enough for that butterfly to attach to your emotions. We didn’t even know he had a cousin, especially one that looks like he could be his identical twin.” 

“I still can’t believe he has a cousin so similar. It’s like they were separated at birth or something.” She shook her head and let out a breathy sigh. “You’re right about this whole emotional part. I was just so shocked over it. I wanted to not believe it and I shouldn’t have believed it, even for a second. Rose or Juleka must have had a stronger emotion towards it than I did, but when Hawkbutt releases an akuma, just watch out. But even then... like sunshine boy has any mean bone in his body. I don’t even think he knows how to be mean.” 

The teens laughed. 

“Yeah right, Al.” Nino nodded his head in amusement as he watched Alya pick up the tablet. “I think he might be the silent but deadly types. You know, the ones the prey on innocent souls when you least expect it?” Alya raised her brow and stared at him with a deadpanned glare. “Or not! Just kidding?” 

Alya sighed and decided to change the subject. “Another round?” 

“You’re on.” 

The two played for another few rounds of Super Penguino before Nino laid back against his bed with a thunk. 

“Alright, Mr. DJ. What’s going on? Why so glum?” 

“Everyone worked so hard on making that video for him. Marinette had the right idea to do all this just to cheer him up. If it wasn’t for Felix getting to it, he would have been able to watch it and it would have made his day even better! I mean, you could see how much he loved the fact we made the video in the first place. Imagine if he actually watched it?” 

“Yeah, especially since M said something in the video that she was too flustered to even tell me.” 

Nino’s eyes widened. “Dude... she didn’t?” 

A devious gleam flashed across her eyes. “Oh, yes. She did.” 

“Al? Do you still have the video? If I know you – and I do - you have that video saved six ways from Sunday.” 

Alya switched off the game and scoured through her gallery. Sitting in the saved video folder was the compilation video. She looked over to Nino and gestured to the paused image and smiled sweetly at him. “Oh look!” She feigned ignorance. “I can’t believe I still have the video. And the poor boy hasn’t seen it yet. Oh no. We can’t have that.” 

Nino shook his head as he watched his girlfriend act out. He decided to play along. “Dude, I think my bro really needs to see the video. Why don’t you just, you know, send it over?” 

“Don’t mind if I do!” 

With two clicks of her messaging app, Alya sent over the video and sighed a happy hum. “Girl. You are going to thank me for this.” 

* * *

Adrien worked at his desk, tirelessly cleaning up the French Literature outline that is due by the end of the week. With the increase in akuma attacks and patrols, he liked to get whatever he could get done sooner rather than later. He could hear Plagg munching on a bag of cheesy popcorn while his favorite cooking shows played in the background. 

Adrien leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, remembering the feeling of his mother’s presence. A stray tear fell from his eye and he quickly sat up and brushed it away. He missed her just so damn much. 

He wished she was still here so they could sit in his room every evening and just talk about their days. How he wished he could smell her flowery perfume or hear her sweet laugh. He wished that she could have seen him go to public school for the first time and saw how happy he is now that he has friends who can share his hobbies. 

Oh, how he wished she could have met his new friends. His mom already knew and loved Chloe and loved having her at the mansion. She would have loved meeting Kagami, but something in the back of his mind itched at the thought that maybe she already knew her through the Tsurugi family name. 

He shook his head at the brisk thought. 

She would have definitely loved Nino and his laid-back attitude, maybe even give him a pointer or two in the whole directing movies side of things. She probably would have told Alya what it was like to be interviewed by journalists and what Alya should do to avoid being taunted by celebrities in the worst way. She would have loved meeting Marinette and bonded over her creativity and would probably help her with her designs, and she would definitely love how selfless and caring she is... 

A happy thought crossed his mind. His friends were so sweet to him today. It sucked that Felix had to go and delete the video, send a ruthless response, and caused his friends to get akumatized over it. Just the thought of it put him into a sour mood. Adrien narrowed his eyes and slumped in his chair, leaning onto the armrest with his head propped up on his fist. He stared at a random spot on the floor. 

Plagg could sense the change in Adrien’s attitude and fluttered over to his chosen. While he was not one to show how much he cared, he really did love him and would do anything to protect him. He waited until Adrien looked up from his spot before saying anything. 

“You okay, kid?” 

“Yeah. Just miss her.” He sighed. “And I’m mad at Felix for what he did. I just wish that I could have seen what my friends sent me.” 

“I’m an ancient god so I don’t know much, but is there any way to find a deleted video from somewhere in your phone?” 

Adrien nodded solemnly. “No. I played around with it for an hour and I couldn’t find a way. I think Felix went through and really wiped it off my phone so I couldn’t find it.” 

Plagg let out a small growl. “Sucks kid. Sorry.” 

“Eh, it’s whatever Plagg. Just knowing that they thought about me today is enough. Yeah, it would be cool to see it, but beggars can’t be choosers.” 

“Are you sure about that? I beg for cheese all the time and choose the types I want. And I don’t think I’m an exception to the rule...” He said as he licked his paws. “Plus, I think if you asked whoever sent the video to resend it to you, then you could watch it.” 

Adrien thought about it for a moment. “No, I’m not going to bother them. But it is a great thought though.” 

Plagg rolled his eyes. His chosen is such a sweet kid, never wanting to bother anyone for an inconvenience, even if it was for a simple text with no effort in a resend what so ever. But he knew when to drop a subject if it wasn’t going anywhere. 

Adrien got up and was about to gather his things when a ding chimed loudly in the room. He walked over to it and looked down to see who it was from. The start of a smirk crossed his lips as he noticed that a large message was trying to come through. Plagg noticed Adrien’s quick emotions and scanned the notification, looking back at Adrien with a similar smirk. 

“Looks like you got your wish kid.” 

“Looks like Alya sent it to me. That’s so awesome.” He smiled at the notification. “Come on, Plagg. I want to watch this on my bed.” 

Plagg perched on Adrien’s shoulder as he nestled into the pillows on his bed. The moment they became comfortable, Adrien clicked on the message. 

“Oh look, Plagg! Nino sent something.” 

**_Hey, my dude. I’m not quite sure what to tell you except that you’re my man dude, and bros are always there for their guys._ **

“Dude! He’s such an awesome bro.” Adrien smiled and clicked on the next video. “Aww, Rose sent me something too!” 

**_Unicorns have a saying: even when there’s nothing but gray skies and rain, all it takes is one little sunbeam for a rainbow to appear._ **

“She’s so bubbly and warm. No wonder she was akumatized when Felix sent that video.” He saddened at the thought again before clicking next. “Oh, Max did too!” 

Plagg looked up and saw that this was going to be a recurring theme with each additional sender. He nuzzled a little further and pretended to fall asleep. Seeing him this happy definitely warmed up his little heart. 

**_It’s 100% proven you should feel 52% happier with a healthy dose of laughter, so_ ** **_Marcov_ ** **_has uploaded a few jokes for you starting with..._ **

“I hope some of those jokes are punny!” He started to chuckle to himself. “I’ll have to check out the email Marcov is sending so I can read them before falling asleep. Maybe I can use them on my Lady!” 

Plagg just looked at him with one eye propped open. “Hey, Chloe is up next.” 

Adrien furrowed his brow. She was his first friend, so she knows more about this than any of his other friends, but this could go in any direction. He hesitantly clicked next. 

**_When my mother left for New York I felt so sad. It... felt like she was... she came back and I know how lucky I am. So, you can count on me, my Adrikins._ **

“I wish Chloe could be this sweet all the time. I hate how she hides behind this bravado exterior. I miss the old Chloe.” He said sadly. Letting out a sigh, he clicked next. “Oh. It’s Marinette. She’s so sweet and amazing, even if she stutters a bit. I love that about her. And she’s so caring!” 

Plagg rolled his eyes as he watched his chosen babble away. “Are you going to click next, or are you going to talk about your girlfriend for the next hour?” 

“Plagg! She is not my girlfriend! She’s just a... very... good friend!” He side eyed the kwami before clicking the next button. 

**_“Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be there if you need me.”_ **

Adrien’s jaw dropped and stared at the screen. “She... _loves_ me _?!_ ” 


	2. Unbelievable

Adrien could barely make out the maniacal cackling in the background. The sound of his pulse rang out in his ears, deafening the room with only his thoughts to accompany him. He couldn’t pull away from his phone; he was too engrossed in what he just heard that the words had spun around and collided together in his head and made him downright dizzy. 

He heard it wrong. He must have. There’s no way. 

Yeah, that’s it. He definitely heard it wrong. But just to be sure, he backtracked to the end of Max’s video and started to watch her recording again. 

**_Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be there if you need me._ **

_No._

He replayed it seven more times. Each time his blush grew a half a shade each from a dusting of pink to a crimson red. 

He couldn’t hear the cackling anymore. Maybe that was all in his head? 

_No, the cackling is definitely still around._ _Definitely_ _not in his head._

**_Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be there if you need me._ **

He paused the video and stared at the still image in front of him. _Marinette? In love with… me?_

He fixated on those words. At this point, the sweet, sweet sound of her voice was now engraved in the back of his mind. There was this alluring softness in her eyes as she said it. _Where her eyes always this blue?_ The genuine tone in her voice was so inviting and her smile looked so pretty. Her words replayed in his mind on a continuous and torturous repeat. 

It did not help the flutter in his chest. 

**_Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be there-_ **

Always caring. Always so sweet. Of course, she would always be there even if his presence often made her uncomfortable. She always thinks of others. She’s just extremely friendly! Heck, he called her their Everyday Ladybug because she reminds him so much of the real Ladybug. And who wouldn’t love someone like that? Half the class has a crush on her. Is she cute? Yes, of course. He won’t deny that, but she’s still just a friend. Right? _Right?_

Another flutter. 

**_Adrien, I love_ ** **_you-_ **

Those words again. He fixated on those words. The way her voice sounded so... so... welcoming, and warm? Must be warm. _Speaking of warm, is it me or is it really warm in here?_ he thought as he aired out his shirt to try to get the cool air to tickle his skin. 

_Why is Plagg laughing?_

**_I love you._ **

Adrien sat wide eyed; his thoughts fogged his usual reflex of chastising the tiny god for his theatrics. The only thing that pulled him from his thoughts was the brightness of the screen suddenly turning black. That’s when he heard how loud the god was being. 

“Plagg! Stop laughing! How are you still laughing? This isn’t funny.” 

At one point after the initial play of the message, Plagg had fallen off of Adrien’s shoulder and managed to roll down to the edge of the large bed. He continued to roll around with his paws on his belly as tears fell from his eyes. When all the chuckles slowed down, he finally floated over to his chosen to sit comfortably on his lap. “Alright, alright.” He said as he wiped his brow. “That was seriously funny.” 

“No, it’s not Plagg.” Adrien huffed. “How is this funny?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you don’t ever stop talking about Marinette and then all of a sudden, she confesses her love to you?” He wiped his eyes again. “Seriously kid. This is funny.” 

“She can’t love me. She’s just a really good friend! She said it in a platonic way. There was nothing romantic about it.” 

“Yeah, and I’m a bee.” 

“You are not a bee, Plagg.” He deadpanned. 

“And she’s not ‘just a really good friend’.” Plagg deadpanned back. “Plus, why can’t she love you?” 

Adrien stopped a moment and looked down at his fingers. They looked more interesting than trying to continue this part of the conversation. “You know why. She has Luka.” 

Plagg didn’t miss the way his voice shattered. He softened his voice in response. “Kid, are you sure about that? Last time I checked she wasn’t always spending all her time with him.” 

Adrien looked back up at the kwami. “But you’ve heard her. Every time I mentioned something about liking me, she denied it. She’s flustered all the time and can’t even be in the same room with me. There’s nothing there. Yeah, she said she loved me, but as a...” he swallowed thickly, “...as a friend.” 

Adrien quickly got up and walked over to his windows trying to avoid the subject further. The sky started to darken as the sun dipped below the horizon and the lingering pink and orange colors dotted against the purple landscape. It wasn’t his night for patrol, but he might as well take an hour to himself to clear his head. He sighed sadly. “No, she couldn’t be in love me like that. She said it as a friend.” 

Plagg sat back and watched Adrien mumble under his breath. He shook his head. “Kid, don’t think about her and how she said those gross words. What you need to think about is how you feel about them.” 

“What I feel for Marinette?” 

“No. How do you feel hearing those words.” 

Adrien turned to look back at the god and scrunched his brow in confusion. How did he feel about those words? Adrien dreamed of a day when Ladybug would say those words to him. He wished that he could proclaim those words and that she would reciprocate her feelings. Then they could finally be together! But he knew that it was all a moot point. She was in love with someone else and their relationship was simply platonic. 

But Marinette? Marinette saying those words? It’s a shock. He never would have expected those words to come out of her mouth, especially after all those times he questioned her. There was that time when Jagged Stone had entered her room and everyone witnessed the photographs of him all over her wall. She admitted that she was a fan of fashion and not anything more. Then there was the wax museum visit when Manon was akumatized and she said all those things to his “wax” self. But was that all a façade? Why would she say all those things and not mean it? Is that why she’s flustered all the time? Nervous whenever she’s around him? 

He looked out the window and sighed heavily. “I didn’t realize she loved me in any capacity, but I don’t think it was meant to be in a romantic way. She just wanted to make sure I felt loved today, that’s all.” 

Plagg internally screamed. This oblivious kid got the biggest hint for the story of the century – something that he could finally have to call his own since his father surely wasn’t going to give it to him – and yet, he’s pushing it aside. _I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to take this,_ he thought. He needed to push this a little further. 

“You still didn’t answer my question, Adrien. How do you feel about those words?” 

Adrien closed his eyes, but he didn’t turn to face Plagg. “I’ve always wished that Ladybug would say those words to me. I’d be so excited that this brave, amazing, and beautiful girl finally told me those three magical words that I would probably be on cloud nine for the rest of my life!” Plagg watched him curiously. “But hearing Marinette saying those words... it shocked me. But I’m just so confused. Why does it feel so warm and caring? Why is it that I _want_ to hear those words over and over and that I can’t pull her away from my thoughts?” 

“Maybe you like her and you don’t realize it.” 

“I’m in love with Ladybug, Plagg. I can’t be in love with Marinette. And I told you, she has Luka. She doesn’t want to be alone around me and she’s told me she doesn’t see me that way. It’s just not worth exploring.” 

Plagg closed his eyes and sighed. “Why don’t you go for a run? Maybe it will clear your head.” 

Adrien nodded and grabbed him a slice of cheese. “Plagg. Claws out!” 

* * *

Bouncing across rooftops and doing flips from balcony to balcony, Chat Noir got lost in his own mind. He tried to focus on his footings as he enjoyed the warm summer breeze that swept against his cheeks. 

When he finally stopped to catch his breath, he stood tall on the rooftop and looked around. The homes and businesses around glimmered in a yellow hue. The Eiffel Tower shone brightly against the now black sky. The silhouette of Notre Dame can be seen, but that was probably his night vision helping him tremendously. 

As he continued to scour the sky, he noticed the familiarity of the space. His stomach dropped when he noticed the twinkling fairy lights shimmering on the balcony. He watched the space in earnest, a glimmer of hope constricting his heart. That’s when he saw her. She sat peacefully on her lounge chair with a pink blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her hair tied up in a bun. She looked cozy and sweet and breathtakingly beautiful under the moonlit sky. 

He tried to take a step forward but slipped on a loose roof tile, emitting a slight screech as he started to slide down towards the edge. 

Marinette jumped when she heard the commotion and quickly ran to the edge of the balcony. She needed to figure out where the sound was coming from. Squinting as she scanned the rooftops, she noticed a dark figure hanging onto a gutter by his fingertips. She shouted in worry. “Chat! _Chat!_ Are you okay?” 

Chat grunted as he tried to find a way back up. He slightly turned his head to face her direction as an embarrassed blush dusted his cheeks. Trying to sound like he could do this in his sleep, Chat reassured her. “Yeah, I’m fine princess. Just... _hmph_... hanging around.” 

Marinette scoffed loud enough that he could hear it at his distance. “You dumb cat! What are you doing? You could have been hurt!” 

Chat finally felt safe enough to grab his baton and extend it to the ground. He leveraged it against a wedge and pole vaulted his way from his spot to her balcony. Landing on the flat surface with a slight thump, he retracted his baton and placed it back on his holster. He looked up with a playful smile on his lips as he watched Marinette stand in front of him and crossed her arms, while an angry pout adorned hers. 

_That pout is cute,_ he thought. 

Her face changed to something soft, even somewhat worried, as she dropped her arms to her side. “Chat, are you hurt?” 

“No. I’m okay. Just slipped is all. I still have all nine lives.” 

Marinette rolled her eyes and moved back to her chair. “Out on patrol?” She said simply. 

“No, just stretching my claws.” 

“What’s wrong, Chat? I know we may not know each other well, but I can be a lending ear if you need someone to talk to.” 

Chat smiled. Of course Marinette would offer to help a stranger, even though he wasn’t a stranger to her, at least not that she knew. But the tingle of nerves in his chest betrayed him as he delved into the depths of her bluebell eyes, the large orbs sparkling brightly even under the dim light. He agreed with himself - she was definitely breathtakingly beautiful. 

Chat took a spot on the floor in front of her. “I would love to just sit here and chat all evening about the never-ending love quarrels between my heart and my head, but I could never bombard you with something as heavy as that.” He chuckled. “But even if I wanted to just sit here and talk with you, I couldn’t. Secret identities, you know.” 

“I know.” She said quietly. She sounded sad, distressed maybe. Something didn’t sit right with him and even though he was trying to avoid these fleeting thoughts of Marinette and Ladybug, he couldn’t just sit there and wonder. Cats are very curious creatures. 

“Why so glum? I may not be able to talk about my life, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tell me about yours.” 

Marinette looked down at him and smiled. “Just thinking about a friend today.” 

“And this friend made you feel like this?” Chat quirked his brow. “Do I need to hunt someone down for you?” 

Marinette giggled. “No, kitty. It’s not like that. Today was the anniversary of his mom’s sudden disappearance. I was just thinking about how lonely he must feel without her. I can’t imagine living my life without my mom by my side.” 

Chat lost his smile. “Oh.” That’s all he could say. She was talking about him and if he were to ask more questions about it, he would surely cry. He couldn’t do that to her. 

“Yeah. I just wish that I could hug him. Remind him that he’s so loved by all his friends. That he’s not alone anymore. Anything that could show him that he has a family with all of us.” 

Chat looked up at Marinette, her voice was so soft and so sweet, just like in the video. The sincerity in her voice warmed up his soul, causing butterflies to form in the pit of his stomach. His heart raced and tears started to well up in corners of his eyes. He needed to compose himself or else he would oust his identity. 

“You sound like you care about him a lot.” The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them. He just needed to know. 

“I do.” She leaned back against her chair and snuggled into her blanket. “More than you could even know.” 

That was it. Chat needed to leave before the emotions skyrocketed out of his body. He could feel the heat rising to his face, the tears starting to blur his vision. He focused on swallowing his emotions, standing up and turning around so his back faced hers. “Sorry, princess, but I have to head out before anyone notices I’m missing.” He extended his baton a little. “He sounds like a great guy if he’s captured your heart that way.” 

Marinette blushed and ducked her head, swallowing loudly before speaking. “He is.” 

And with that, Chat bid her adieu and raced off to his bed, staring at the ceiling as his heart raced with a plethora of emotions. The tears fell unceremoniously down his cheeks. 

He sniffed as he placed a pillow to his face and groaned. “This is going to be a long night.” 


	3. Little Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien notices the little things.

Adrien stared out the window as the sedan rounded the corner near the school. A quick stretch of his back with his hands high above his head along with a soothing rub to his neck satisfied his body’s exhaustive need for movement before the car stopped at the curb. Nodding a thanks to his bodyguard, Adrien stepped out and eyed his best friend with a matching smile as he made his way to the steps. Nino stuck out his fist for their customary morning fist bump and Adrien reached out to respond in kind. He tried to stifle a yawn, but the moment he opened his mouth to say _hey_ , the yawn slipped out. 

“Dude, exhausted much?” Nino said with a chuckle. “Your pops had you up early or something?” 

Adrien chuckled with him. “Naw, bro. Just couldn’t sleep last night. I’ll be fine.” 

“Well if you fall asleep, you know I got your back.” 

“I knew I could count on you!” Adrien nudged his shoulder against Nino’s and Nino shoved his shoulder playfully back. “Do you have plans later tonight?” 

Nino thought about it for a moment. “No, I don’t think so dude. My moms didn’t say anything about watching my little bro, so I should be free. What’s up?” 

“I have a few hours open after my Chinese lesson. Maybe we could play a few rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike III online? Maybe about 6ish?” 

“Yeah, dude. That sounds awesome!” 

“What sounds awesome?” Alya wrapped her arm around her boyfriend, placing a quick peck to his cheek. 

“Nino and I are going to play a round of UMS III tonight. I actually have some free time, but you know, can’t leave the house.” 

“Sounds like a good time.” Alya smiled as she eyed the bakery across the street. “I’ll be busy tonight, too. Marinette and I are planning an afternoon of snacks, movies, and video games with her parents. Tom said something about trying out a new macaroon flavor and wanted a few volunteers to test them.” 

Adrien perked up at the sound of Marinette’s name; shoulders straightening a bit more while a smile curled slightly at the edge of his lips. Alya narrowed her eyes at him and smirked at the sight. Adrien felt the glare and quickly schooled his posture, rubbed his neck nervously, then stuttered a bit as he thought of a lie. “I- I wish that I could try out those macaroon flavors.” Okay, so that wasn’t a lie, but hopefully it would be believable to Alya. 

Alya let go of Nino and straightened her bag. “Well, if your dad could let you leave your tower every once in a while, maybe you could.” She teased and then tapped her chin. “But maybe I could ask Marinette to bring a few samples for you try out tomorrow, or maybe even convince her to drop some off at your house tonight.” 

“Hey, I want some too!” Nino cried. “You know I can’t resist delicious yummies.” 

Adrien and Nino shared a dreamy look over the delectable goodies before Adrien realized what Alya had said. “It would probably be a bad idea for her to drop them off at my house. My dad only allows me sweets sparingly. But what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I’ll just wait for the snacks tomorrow.” 

“What’s tomorrow?” A sweet voice said behind them. 

Adrien smiled when he heard the sound. He turned to look at her and opened his mouth to say something when Alya beat him to it. 

“Oh, you know girl, the delicious treats your dad wants us to try out tonight. I told the boys that we were going to be hanging out.” 

“Hey dudette. Please tell us you’ll bring us some sweet treats?” Adrien nodded dramatically beside him. 

Marinette ducked her head as a pink hue dusted her cheeks. “Ye- Yeah, I-I can bring a couple for goo yuys. I mean, you guys.” She let out a muffled grumble before looking up at her friends through her lashes. “Any special requests?” 

Nino shook his head no but Adrien continued to smile in a way that had now reached his eyes. If it was possible, his peridot orbs now seemed greener than his normal hue. Both Alya and Nino noticed his glow before turning back to each other, both flashing a devious smile as if they were plotting their next move. The model did not notice the silent conversations beside him, but he did notice when Marinette fully looked up at him, tilting her head slightly as if a confused thought crossed her mind. 

Adrien acknowledged that his silence was odd, so he patted his lips repeatedly as he pretended to be deep in thought. “Hmm. I was thinking through all the delicious pastries that I could remember from the last time I was there, but honestly, I think the new flavors sound fun to try. Plus, we can give your dad our unbiased opinion.” 

Marinette flashed him a smile. “Actually, why don’t you guys come over for lunch then? That way you can try them out and tell him yourself. Plus, there will be plenty of other pastries just in case you aren’t a fan. Don’t want you to all go hungry.” She giggled. 

Adrien grinned. “I’ll tell Nathalie that I’m working on an experiment during lunch so that they’ll allow it.” 

“Then it’s settled. Tomorrow at lunch. I’ll let him know. He’ll be so happy!” She clasped her hands together with a happy squeak. “We should probably make our way in. We don’t want to be late.” 

“Yeah, since you’re actually here on time for once!” Alya teased as Marinette stuck out her tongue in retaliation. 

* * *

Adrien was about to take his seat when a loud sound stopped him in his tracks. 

“Adrikins!” Chloe squealed as she grabbed him into a tight squeeze. “It’s been too long since the last time we hung out. We need to do it soon!” 

Adrien leaned back as he tried to release himself from her grasp. “I’m not sure, Chloe. You know how my dad is. I don’t even have time for myself.” 

“What about tomorrow, then? Hmm?” She pleaded as she patted her eyelashes. “I’ll have my daddy convince yours!” 

“Sorry, I can’t tomorrow. I’ll be at Marinette’s working on an experiment.” 

“Ugh, your hanging out with _Dupain-Cheng_ but you won’t hang out with _moi_ ? That’s not fair!” Chloe crossed her arms and stomped her foot as her bottom lip quivered. She turned her head away from him just in time to see Marinette make her way up the steps towards her seat. She smirked before muttering an _Utterly ridiculous!_ and tactfully stuck her foot out like she was about to rush back to her seat. Marinette had no time to notice the misplaced appendage, tripping over it with an accompanying shriek. 

Adrien’s eyes widened as he watched Marinette fall. Before his brain could register his movement, Adrien lunged himself forward and caught her before she hit the step. They both tumbled back, her face bouncing against his chest as he held her close against his body. Books and papers were sprawled around them, some loose sheets floating down like snow around a rock. 

Loud gasps and muffled words were being said around him, but he couldn’t make out what was being said. One voice sounded like an angry Alya while the other was registered as Chloe, but he was too dazed to care. 

When his brain finally caught up, he opened his eyes and slowly released her from his tight grasp. His heartbeat was erratic and something felt like it was caught in his throat. He swallowed the sensation and chalked it up to the adrenaline of getting to her before she got hurt. But why did he feel nervous all of a sudden? 

Marinette removed herself from him quickly and looked him in the eyes. Adrien noticed the blush on her cheeks. “Thank you, Adrien. I don’t know how I tripped but I appreciate you saving me.” She looked at the floor and started gathering up the papers. “I hope you didn’t get hurt.” 

He bent down to grab the books and her bag. “I’m fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. Don’t need you getting bruised up.” Her cheeks reddened up a bit, most likely from the lingering embarrassment. Adrien thought it was adorable. 

“I’m used to it. Clumsy and all.” They both stood up in unison and she grabbed the books from his hands. Just then, Ms. Bustier walked in and requested the class to quiet down. Marinette brushed a stray hair behind her ear as she clutched the books closer to her chest. She quietly thanked him again before sitting down. 

He smiled. “Anytime.” 

* * *

Adrien tried to concentrate in class. Key word tried. But all he could hear was all the little mutterings when she dropped her pencil and the way she said _yes!_ when her test came back with a perfect score. Lest he forget the little butt wiggle she did when she got excited over something that Alya said. It was all a little much today. 

So Adrien did what he did best – he rubbed his hands against his face as he tried to get the thoughts of the pretty, raven-haired classmate out of his brain. 

It didn’t help that he could feel the vibrating laughter from his kwami within his pocket. Only threatening the tiny god with cheddar slices for the rest of his days got him to stop. 

* * *

“Dang, bro. That’s like the fifth win in a row!” 

Adrien chuckled into the headset. He could see the look of defeat on Nino’s face through his phone’s video app. “Hey, I have a lot of time on my hands. I just choose to use it on video games instead of anything else.” 

“Like anime?” 

“Besides anime.” A dreamy look crossed his face. “There will always be time for anime.” 

Nino just shook his head and started the next round. Adrien followed suit, choosing his usual cat bot to fight against Nino. “Speaking of dreamy looks, dude,” Nino said as he launched a series of attacks, “what was with you today?” 

Adrien attacked Nino back. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean catching Marinette. You, like, jumped like your life depended on saving her, dude.” 

“I saw her falling and caught her before she fell. Isn’t that what friends do?” 

“Alright fine.” Nino said as his bot unleashed another round of attacks. “Alya mentioned Marinette’s name this morning and you shifted your whole posture.” 

Adrien got in another hit before Nino attacked back. “I heard macaroons and it caught my attention.” 

“You twitched all during class and it was every time Marinette did something. Don’t think I didn’t see you not paying attention bro.” 

“I told you I was exhaus-” 

“Dude. Don’t” Nino said with the final blow making him the winner. Adrien’s screen flashed with the _Loser_ tag across it and he tossed his controller beside him; his head bobbed back on the couch. 

“Fine.” Adrien said in a huff. He looked up to see Nino watching him with wide eyes. “Don’t tell anyone. Not even Alya. This is between us.” 

Nino nodded his head. “I got you dude. Bro code.” 

“I watched the video.” He started. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I was thinking about Marinette and what she said. Then I tried so hard not to think about her this morning, and it was working, too, until Alya mentioned Marinette’s name. So yes, I did smile because her name was mentioned. Happy?” 

“And what about the rest of the day?” 

Adrien sighed. “I couldn’t concentrate after catching her. I don’t even know what had gotten into me. I didn’t realize my reflexes were that fast” _outside the suit_ _,_ ”but yet there I was catching her mid fall. Then,” he said, his voice rising a little bit louder and a going a little bit faster, “then I sat all throughout class thinking about her giggles, or how silly she sounded every time she dropped her pencil, or... or... _ugh_!” 

Nino narrowed his eyes with a clever look as he watched his best friend grunt in anguish. “You like her, dude, don’t you?” 

“Yes. _No!_ No.” He sputtered. “I mean, of course I like her. _As a friend._ She’s one of my best friends. She fell and I protected her. She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t want her to get hurt.” 

“Whatever you say, dude.” Nino leaned back. “But when you finally realize that she’s more than that to you, I’ll be right here to catch you when you fall.” 

Adrien furrowed his brows in confusion but ultimately decided to let it go. “Another round?” 

“Let’s go.”


	4. Macarons

Adrien sat numbly at his desk, notes long forgotten as he doodled little ladybug and cat figures in the margins of his notes. He should probably pay attention; the mock test after lunch was important and considered a large part of their grade. He studied all week for it, so it would be a surprise if he failed the test, but he still didn’t have it in it to care. 

He let out a hearty sigh and looked at the clock. Just a half hour to go until the bell released them for lunch. He was able to convince Nathalie that he would be working on an experiment during lunch testing the weight, composition, and texture of spherical products made with sucrose and sodium chloride. What she didn’t know was that he was tasting those spherical macarons filled with delicious sugar (and of course salt to taste) to see if it was good enough to sell. 

It was still an experiment and not a full-on lie; he just chose to omit a few words on _where_ the experiment was being held. Yet the thought of spending time with his friends this way felt thrilling. It was just like the moments when he transformed into Chat Noir just to get away to breathe, catapulting into the air and into his famous barrel rolls off the rooftops. 

_Twenty minutes._

Ms. Bustier continued to go on as his mind went over his conversation with Nino the night before. 

_When you finally realize that she’s more than that to you, I’ll be right here to catch you when you fall._

Marinette was just a friend. He was in love with Ladybug. He would always be in love with Ladybug. He wasn’t going to just stop that just because another girl confessed her love to him. Well, she didn’t do it to his face, but she still said it. Yet the thought of Marinette wouldn’t leave his mind. 

But then there was Kagami. She confessed her love to him in her akuma form. Even though she tried to sway him to change targets, he outright said he wouldn’t. He would keep trying until the world fell apart at his feet. His lady deserved all the love in the world and he would be the one to give it to her. She was his soulmate and one day she will realize that he is hers too. One day she’ll say that they can be together. So until that day, Adrien would just keep chugging along. 

_Ten minutes._

Adrien started to feel restless. He put his elbow on the table and leaned his head against his fist. His leg started bouncing and he tapped his pen against the edge of the notebook in rhythmic pats. Nino noticed the desk shake slightly and looked to his right to see Adrien suffer in silence. 

“Dude.” He whispered causing Adrien to freeze mid movement. 

“Ugh, sorry Nino. Just antsy to get out of here.” 

“So you can see Marinette?” 

“What?” Adrien’s eyes widened at the comment. “N- no!” He said a little too loudly. 

Ms. Bustier paused her thought and glanced at Adrien. “Adrien? Is something the matter?” 

The class paused their note-taking to stare at the interaction. Adrien blushed. “No, Ms. Bustier. I thought I messed up my notes. I’m sorry for disrupting your lesson. I didn’t realize I said it loud enough to be heard.” 

“If you need to fix your notes, maybe Marinette would be willing to assist you.” She said flatly. 

“Th- thank you, Ms. Bustier. I will let her know.” Adrien said as he sunk slowly into his desk. 

* * *

As soon as the bell rang, Adrien gathered up his belongings and turned around to wait for Marinette, Alya, and Nino to finish to do the same. 

“Are you guys ready?” Marinette said sweetly and coherently as she tugged a loose lock behind her ear. Her eyelashes flitted down some, making her look bashful. 

Adrien noticed her little movements and unconsciously grasped the strap on his book bag a little more tightly than normal. He smiled just as sweet back; a feeling of flutters radiated in his chest. 

Alya and Nino watched him carefully. A cunning grin curled her lips. “Let's go!” Alya said jolting Adrien out of his trance. “Those cookies last night were off the chain. Hopefully Nino and Adrien will like them just as much.” 

Marinette made her way down the steps slowly past Adrien, her eyes closed and her shoulders scrunched up as she let out some giggles. The sound echoed throughout the classroom and the flutters increased a little more. 

Clearing his throat to rid of the nervousness, Adrien coyly added, “I can’t wait to try out those pastries. Everything your dad makes is amazing. If Alya says they are good, then I won't doubt it for a second.” 

Marinette ducked her head and a blush spread across her cheeks. “W-well you're in thuck, len. I mean - in luck, then. My dad made a fresh batch and created a few extra treats in that same flavor. When Alya, myself, and my mom praised him, he spent a few hours going over his recipe books finding out where else he could incorporate it in. He told me this morning that he made about four different treats. If they were just as good as the macarons, then they'll be a hit with the other pastries.” 

Adrien and Nino grinned when she mentioned the extra treats. 

“Dudette, your dad is the man!” 

“What flavor are we taste testing today?” Adrien questioned with an excited tone. 

Marinette paused to think it over. Her finger tapped against her lips as she scrunched up her face in thought. “Nope! Alya and I were sworn to secrecy!” 

Adrien clenched his hand against the fabric of his shirt as he pretended to falter to the ground. “Oh, my heart! Your betrayal is too much for this poor boy.” 

Nino joined in with him. “The pain! The horror. Dudettes, you broke our spirits.” 

Marinette and Alya crossed their arms and laughed. “Adrien,” Alya started, “I didn't know you had it in you. Perfect model has a dorky side?” 

“Alya!” Marinette scolded. 

Adrien straightened himself up and laughed. “I’m usually a model citizen. But I'll let you all in on a little secret.” He looked around conspicuously and huddled the group in closer before whispering. “I'm a huge dork-a-sarus.” 

Marinette’s eyes widened and then snorted out a laugh. “Oh my god!” She squealed. “Adrien Agreste? A huge dork? No way.” 

“Way. Anime, video games, books... you name it.” 

“It’s true. My bro puns and talks in anime phrases all the time behind closed doors. It’s like he has a secret identity.” 

The group continued to laugh as they made across the street. The bell chimed as they opened the bakery door, prompting a welcomed greeting from both Sabine and Tom. 

“Hello dears!” Sabine said cheerfully as they wandered towards the register. 

“Hello Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.” The trio said. Marinette added a kiss to her parents’ cheeks. 

“I’ve told you all to call us Tom and Sabine.” She said with a grin. The trio smiled as they nodded their heads. 

“I’m so thrilled that you are all trying out my newest flavor pairings!” Tom said, clasping his hands together in joy. “I don't know if Marinette told you, but I was so happy that everyone loved them last night that I could not wait to test them out in a bunch of other recipes. So I have the passion fruit, papaya, and strawberry buttercream macarons from yesterday, but I also made danishes, cream puffs, croissants, and flan with the same flavoring!” 

The bakers could see Adrien and Nino visibly salivate over the prospects. Sabine laughed. “But not until they eat a small dish of food first, Tom.” 

“Of course, dear. I’ll make sure I set a plate of each piece for everyone to try and I’ll personally bring them up to you in about a half hour.” 

“I can’t wait to try them!” Adrien said excitedly. “Passion fruit is my favorite flavor!” 

“Well then, it looks like we have the perfect taste tester among us.” Tom bellowed. 

“Marinette,” Sabine added. “I have vegetable stir fry ready upstairs. There is steak and chicken. The steak is on the spicier side, but the chicken is just right. Go on and enjoy yourselves.” 

Marinette led the group upstairs and into the kitchen. Alya assisted with the plates as Nino and Adrien poured drinks into the cups. They all sat down, Nino sitting across from Alya and Marinette across from Adrien. They ate as they conversed about random things – video games, the Ladyblog, and the new music that recently came out – until the topic of summer vacation came up. Nino talked about a few gigs that he had lined up and Alya said she had a trip to Marseille sometime in July. Adrien was about to ask Marinette what her plans were when Tom walked into the apartment with the tray of treats. 

Adrien took a bite of the macaron and almost cried in delight. “Oh wow! This flavor pairing is absolutely delicious!” He took another bite and passionately ate it with his eyes closed. “Yup. Your dad is the absolute best baker in Paris, Marinette. There’s no doubt about that.” 

Marinette beamed. “Thanks, Adrien. I thought so too last night. I told him it was the perfect flavor – it wasn’t overly tart and had a bit of sweetness. It would taste good anywhere, so he just went with it.” 

Adrien sipped down a glass of water and then took a cream puff to enjoy. Nino did the same and moaned in delight. 

“Dude. So good. Just. So good.” 

Marinette and Alya did the same and just moaned as the dessert dissolved on their tongues. “My dad is seriously the best. I wonder how long it will take to put this on the menu.” 

Adrien gulped down the last bite of the cream puff before asking. “How long does it usually take?” 

“Depends on what it is.” Marinette started as she took a slice of flan. “Now that he figured out the perfect flavoring in a small sampling, he’s going to have to multiply it a couple of times for larger quantities. But he has to start off slow first and have larger group samplings over a course of a few weeks.” 

“Is that to have it tested out in random test groups?” 

“Exactly. The same twenty people won’t come in daily. So he’ll have samplings throughout the week for one item, then he’ll switch it out for something else the next week. He’ll then go back to the first set of samplings, before going out for the second samplings the week after that. He’ll cover more ground, gather more testers, and have more data.” 

“So it won’t be on the menu for at least five weeks?” Adrien asked curiously. 

“Something like that. But when he makes batches for samplings, he’ll actually make enough to have a limited supply for the day or days. It depends on the item. Like flan isn’t great sitting out for a few days, but macaroons can.” 

Alya and Nino watched Marinette and Adrien converse. She hadn’t flustered once and the conversation was moving smoothly. This was the first time that Alya could remember Marinette actually speaking in full sentences with her long-time crush. Was this the start of a new Marinette? 

Alya smirked at the pair with a sneaky thought. She took out her phone before a worried glance crossed her face. “Oh shoot. My mom just texted me. She needs me to run an errand for her and bring it to her before lunch is over. Nino, do you mind coming with me? I need an extra set of hands to bring the stuff.” 

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Sorry Marinette.” He said with a shrug. “Thank your pops for me. I just wish I could have tried everything. 

“Oh, ye-yeah. No problem. I’ll just....” she said as she looked down to the plate nervously, “I’ll just package everything you didn’t get to try and I’ll get it to you?” 

“Sounds good, my friend.” 

With a wave to bid them goodbye, Alya and Nino left. 

Marinette sat back down at her seat at looked at the treat on her dish. The air started to feel a little tense, so Adrien tried to lighten up the mood. 

“So... have you designed anything new lately? 

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Actually...” Marinette stood up and walked to her book bag to grab her sketchbook. She flipped through a few pages until she fell upon the one she wanted to show him. “I’m designing this dress. I was... inspired.” 

Adrien sat there with wonder in his eyes. It was a black dress with green trim around the off-shoulder sleeves and on the waist of the dress. There were simple silver accents in specific spots on the bodice. The dress reminded him of his costume. All it was missing was the bell. 

Marinette let out a breath. “I’m loving this dress, but there’s something missing. I just can’t figure out what.” 

Adrien looked up at Marinette. She was so creative and passionate in her designs. Her perplexed look made him wonder what was going on in her brain. Her blue eyes seemed to shine brighter when she talked about something she loved. It was mesmerizing. So mesmerizing, in fact, that he didn’t realize he was staring at her until she looked up at him and touched her face. 

“Do I have something on my face?” 

“No! No.” He brought his hands up in surrender. “I just noticed how blue your eyes get when you get excited. They shine brighter.” 

“Oh. Th-thanks.” She said as she shyly smiled, her fingers running through one of her pigtails. 

_Great, I made her nervous again. Make her happy! Make her happy!_

“Ho- How’s things with you and Luka?” 

Marinette shot him a confused glance. “Um. Good? He invited me over a few days ago to listen to one of his new songs. It sounded... amazing.” 

“That’s good. His songs are pretty good.” 

Marinette picked up the sketchbook and closed it. She shuffled back to her bag and slowly placed it back to its spot. Marinette let out a shaky sigh. 

“Yeah. They are.” She fiddled with her bag again, but didn’t turn around. Actually, she sounded somewhat dejected. “How’s everything with Kagami?” 

Adrien noticed the shift in mood, but didn’t question it. “Kagami is doing good. She’s been working hard since our last fencing tournament. Said something about rising to my level since I won the tournament last weekend.” He chuckled. “I don’t know why she thinks she isn’t just as good. Sometimes I think she’s better than me.” 

Marinette turned back around her with a wet smile. “I’m glad things are good, Adrien.” 

“Hey, Marinette? Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just poked my eye.” She said as she wiped her eye. “We should probably get going. Lunch is almost over.” 


	5. Ladybug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug episode, Adrien style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Just to give you a heads up. This chapter follows the episode order after Felix according to the production code.
> 
> We saw Marinette's POV of her expulsion. Let's see what Adrien does.

Adrien spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the next morning thinking over his conversation with Marinette. Everything seemed fine up until he asked her about Luka. As her friend, should he have not asked her about him? Did Luka do something to bother her? Alya never mentioned anything about that, but even then, Marinette seemed fine whenever Kitty Section was mentioned. Maybe he would ask her during their lunch or free period. 

Adrien stepped out of the sedan and fist bumped Nino good morning before they started making their way towards the locker rooms. “Hey, Nino.” 

“Sup, bro.” 

“Hey, did Marinette mention anything about Luka bothering her?” 

Nino furrowed his brows. “No, and neither did Als. Why, did Marinette say something to you?” 

“No, she didn’t say anything to me like that. It was more like her reaction when I asked her how things were with Luka.” 

Nino shook his head. “Dude. You know she likes you. Why would you ask her about Luka?” 

“I panicked! After you guys left, she got really quiet so I asked her about her designs. She showed me a really awesome dress and as she was explaining it, I accidentally stared at her face.” He blushed. “So, then I asked her how things with her and Luka were and she seemed like she was trying to hold back a cry.” 

Nino just stared at Adrien without blinking. _Dude... like why?_

“Ugh, Nino?” 

He shook his head. “Sorry dude. Zoned out a bit. But no, I haven’t heard of anything happening between Marinette and Luka. I’ll ask Alya, but I think she would have told me.” 

“Yeah.” Adrien said as he shoved a book into his locker. From the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of pink along with the carefree laughter that he had come to enjoy. 

He watched as Marinette and Alya made their way past the doors and up the stairway towards the classroom, conversing over something Alya’s twin sisters did that morning. Nino and Adrien followed a bit behind them, conversing over a new video game. When the quad entered the classroom, they could hear the conversation of the hazel-eyed girl to Nathaniel about the possible meetup with a manga publisher and Adrien could not help but roll his eyes at another obvious lie. He knew exactly how awful a person Lila was, and Marinette did too, but as long as she didn’t hurt anyone, what was the harm of just leaving her be? 

Adrien tried to not let the lies get to him, but hearing Marinette grumble to Alya about it really started to bother him. Was there something that Lila said or did to Marinette to really make her feel this way? He guessed this was yet another thing to ask her over lunch. 

He was about to turn around and chat with the girls but Ms. Bustier walked in and stood at the edge of her desk before he could. 

“I’ve graded your mock exam papers. Most of you did quite well. Some... better than others, but before I hand them back, Marinette could you bring your school bag to me please? I need to check something,” she said with some hesitation in her eyes. 

Marinette stood up and handed the teacher her bag. Adrien watched with confusion. Something felt... off. 

Ms. Bustier continued as she opened Marinette’s bag. “Today, someone paced an anonymous note in my mailbox claiming that you’d stolen the exam answers,” she then found the paper in question and pulled it out, “and it looks like the anonymous person was right.” 

He and everyone around him gasped. Nino looked over to Adrien with utter shock on his face. “Would she-?” He could only answer with a shake of his head. 

“But, that’s not true!” Marinette pleaded. “Someone must have planted that piece of paper in my bag.” 

“But you answered all the questions correctly.” 

“I did?” She retorted with pride. “Yes! Bu-But that’s because I studied.” 

“Ms. Bustier,” Alya interjected, “Marinette always scores high on your tests.” 

An overly sweet voice came from the back of the class. “This is so terribly unlike you Marinette.” Lila said as she clenched her hands to her heart. “You’re usually so well behaved.” 

Adrien didn’t need to turn his head to know what was going on. He kept his eyes glued to Marinette and watched her anger increase. “Of course! You put the answer key in my bag! You’re the anonymous informer!” 

“I’m coming to your defense and your accusing me?” Lila responded with mock sadness. 

“You can’t accuse anyone without proof, Marinette.” The teacher scolded. 

“But, I’m sure it’s her. She stole the test answers.” Her voice sounded broken, tired even. 

“That’s impossible Marinette, Lila got the worse score in the class.” 

“But, then... she flunked the exam on purpose.” 

Adrien couldn’t sit back and watch this anymore. He needed to intervene. No one was listening to her an no one else besides Alya came to her defense. He stood up and raised his hand. “Excuse me, Ms. Bustier? Everyone here knows it isn’t like Marinette to cheat.” 

Alya agreed and the class started to jump to her defense. Adrien watched as the teacher ushered the two girls to the principal's office. He just hoped that whatever happened after the two feuding girls left the class wouldn’t become worse than it already had. 

* * *

Adrien tossed his books into his locker with agitation. “I don’t get it.” He mumbled quietly. “Would Lila really go as far as framing Marinette like this?” 

“Dude, you can’t accuse anyone, but you’re right. It doesn’t make any sense. Who do we know that dislikes her?” 

“Nino, she’s our everyday ladybug. She comes to our defense whenever something happens and is always there whenever someone needs our help. She’s our class rep and does everything she can to make sure we get the things we need. I don’t know anyone who _doesn’t_ like her. We need to get to the bottom of this.” _And if Lila has anything to do with this, I will find out. No one frames Marinette and gets away with it._

“Yeah, maybe talk to Alya about it. I know she’s bothered by the whole thing too.” He looked at the time. “Dude. I’ll catch up to you later. I have to grab my books before class starts.” 

“Alright. I’ll catch you later.” 

Adrien sighed heavily as he thought about what happened. Just then, the doors opened as Mr. Damocles, Ms. Bustier, Lila, Marinette, Sabine, and Tom all walked in to the locker room and headed straight towards her locker. 

“What is happening now?” Adrien muttered as he closed his locker door. Adrien trudged towards where the crowd had gathered to watch the scene unfold. 

Marinette opened her locker door and a necklace had fallen out - the same necklace that was used when Lila tried to convince Adrien that she was a descendant of a superheroine. 

“My grandma’s pendant!” Lila said as she held the locket close to her heart. 

_‘No’_. Adrien thought as his heart dropped. 

“She’s making up this whole thing. I didn’t do anything I swear.” Her pleas were tearing into Adrien. 

Adrien watched as Marinette dolefully looked towards him. “You know Lila’s lying, don’t you Adrien?” 

She needed him. She needed someone to come to her defense. He was the only one who knew of how malicious Lila could be and how her lie almost sabotaged Ladybug in the battle with Onichan. He just did not expect her to do something like this to another classmate in an equally atrocious way. 

He narrowed his eyes as a surge of anger rocked his body. “Mr. Damocles, I don’t think-” 

Mr. Damocles interrupted Adrien’s comment with a simple raised hand. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are expelled from this school!” 

_NO!_ Adrien’s internal thoughts were screaming at him. Everyone around him gasped as the verdict was given. 

Adrien back stepped as his heart clenched with worry. He watched as the group walked back towards the door, the pain in her eyes evident by Lila’s minuscule lies that _he_ thought were harmless. But they weren’t. They were harmful, and they hurt this amazing girl who deserved the world. 

Adrien unwillingly trudged back towards the doorway, his mind racing at what he could do next. He didn’t want to witness Marinette leave the room knowing full well that he may never see her in these walls again. 

But just as she opened the doors, Adrien watched as an array of red butterflies swarmed the room. He could see everyone change into their akumatized forms, but the moment he watched Marinette stand guard, her face contorted in anger, he knew exactly what was happening. _She_ was being akumatized. 

Adrien ran off as he readied to transform, hiding into the bathroom stall. “Plagg. I can’t go against Marinette! But... but we can’t let her be overtaken by Hawkmoth either!” 

Plagg stared at him with fear in his eyes. “Kid, you need to go out there and get to her before she goes too far. She won’t be a simple akuma and I’m afraid of what she would become if we don’t do something right now.” 

“Plagg? You don’t usually act like this. You’re scaring me.” 

“Just transform. We’ll- we’ll talk about this later.” 

“Okay. Plagg, claws ou-” 

“Wait!” Plagg said before Adrien finished his sentence. “I don’t hear anything. The last time Scarlet Moth let out an army, destruction happened fast. Go check, but be careful.” 

Adrien stuck his head out of the bathroom and noticed everyone back to normal. “What happened?” Adrien questioned before he spotted Nino. “What was that about?” 

* * *

Adrien wandered the school grounds as he tried to think of what to do. Marinette was officially expelled and he knew that Lila was definitely behind it. Nino mentioned that Alya had been looking for clues and trying her best to figure out what was going on and that she would be in the courtyard to wait for him when she was through. 

Adrien decided that if he couldn’t come up with anything on his own, then he would ask Alya if there was anything he could to do help her. He noticed Alya across the way and made his way towards her, her hand propped up to her face as she was chatting with someone on the phone. He waited behind the stairwell before he realized she was trying to reach Marinette. 

“Kay. So, here’s the skinny on my investigation so far. No fingerprints, no evidence. Whoever did this was very thorough. I’m sorry. We’ll be in touch.” 

Adrien frowned. This wasn’t good. He looked to the side and noticed the liar chatting with a few classmates. She seemed so at ease even after being pushed down the stairs. Maybe he could talk to her and see what’s going on. But before he could move a few steps forward, an akuma alert rung out on his phone. Running off into a vacant classroom, Adrien transformed and sped to the scene. 

* * *

Adrien’s mind was in a fog and he still had no idea what he was going to do to prove Marinette’s innocence. His bodyguard picked him up from school and brought him to a last-minute photo shoot, one that wasn’t on his schedule until sometime after lunch. Since Nathalie was sitting beside him, he peered out of the window to stare out to the passing streets and let out a silent sigh. When he arrived to the spot at the Seine, he smiled happily when he saw that Giuseppe was his photographer for the day. As he exited the sedan, he turned to his bodyguard to thank him. 

“Oh, Adriano!” His photographer called out as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “Como estai?” 

“I’m good. Thanks, Giuseppe.” 

Adrien turned towards the chairs and noticed a familiar brunette getting her makeup done. 

“Uh... Lila?” 

“Do you know each other? Oh my! Your papa’s new muse is incredible! She’s been all around the world, she knows all the celebrities, and she’s Italian, just like me!” 

Lila turned around and waved to the blonde. “Hi Adrien! You’re gonna give me tons of tips because I’m not as experienced as you are!” 

A glint of mischief crossed his eyes. He knew exactly what he needed to do. He turned to Giuseppe and the makeup artist with a smile. “Would you mind leaving us alone for a second?” 

“Sure”, Giuseppe happily obliged as he and the artist gave them their space. 

Adrien’s eyes narrowed and a slight growl escaped his lips as soon as they were out of view. He sat down in his chair and Lila smiled as she turned to him. She did not expect to see his furious look. 

“I warned you once already, Lila. But you didn’t listen. You hurt my friend, Marinette, and that’s not okay.” He hissed; anger laced his tone. 

Lila looked at him shocked. “Me? Hurting Marinette? But she’s the one-” 

“I don’t know how to prove you lied, Lila, because you’re good at it.” He interrupted her, not one care for the lame excuse that she planned to spew. “So, you’ll have to come up with another lie just as convincing. Only this time, it’s going to prove Marinette’s innocent.” 

Lila knew that he wasn’t going to play her game. She narrowed her own eyes as she laced her tone to match his. “Why would I do that, Adrien?” 

“Because we’re friends, aren't we?” 

Lila stayed silent for a short time. 

“Right, Lila? Because if we’re not, then I guess we won’t be doing this photo shoot.” 

“Fine.” She said after the encouragement she received from Nathalie. “She’ll be back to school tomorrow.” 


	6. The Devil Wears Sausage Bangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien threatens Lila and she agrees, but at what cost?

“Oh, Adrien!” Lila called out first thing that morning. 

Adrien paused in his step, the saccharine voice creating shards of glass in his veins. He had to hold the urge to roll his eyes at the sound of her voice. He did not sleep well enough last night for her nonsense this early in the morning. 

“Yes, Lila? 

“Since we are such _really amazing friends_ , I was hoping you would be a dear and carry my books to class for me?” 

He really had to hold off the urge to both roll his eyes and tell her off. 

“I’m glad that we are _friends_ , Lila, and I’m hoping that our friendship is exactly what Marinette needs during this very difficult time.” 

Lila briskly narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to her normally fake smile. “Don’t worry, Adrien. I’m positive that everything will be just fine, don’t you worry.” She leaned in to speak directly into his ear, her cheery voice changed drastically to a tone laced with venom. “You will listen and do what I say today, Adrien, or else I’ll just _forget_ to bring Marinette back.” 

Adrien started to tremble. Not because he was scared of her. No. It was because his blood began to boil. Not only did he sell his soul to the devil to bring Marinette back, his soul was going to be dragged through the mud by said devil until she got what she wanted in return. 

“I’m so glad you're helping me find a way to bring Marinette back, Lila.” He said through gritted teeth. “Let me carry your books for you. Your arthritis must be acting up.” 

“Yes, it is.” She said as she held up her wrist. “I think I’m going to need help with writing notes and homework, too.” 

_Yep. The devil wear sausage bangs in her hair._

* * *

Lunch time could not come soon enough. Adrien had become Lila’s personal lackey throughout the morning, making his normal excitement for being around his friends more like torture. He even thought about faking sick just to go home and stay away from her, but he needed to ensure that Lila stayed true to her word and Marinette was allowed back to school. 

Not only did she make him carry her books for her and write her notes, but she also made him hold out his arm so she can walk arm-in-arm with him. The real kicker was when she asked Nino if he wouldn’t mind sitting in Marinette’s old seat so she can sit beside Adrien. When Nino shot her a worried glance, Lila came up with an excuse that she couldn’t wear her contacts due to an eye condition that had flared up this morning and the glasses she normally uses had been misplaced and was waiting for a new pair to arrive any day now. Nino then softened and allowed her to take the seat with Ms. Bustier allowing it for the day. 

“I cannot believe you made that deal with the devil!” Plagg screamed once Adrien had made it past the safety of his doorway. 

“I had to do what I had to do, Plagg. Marinette didn’t deserve what happened to her. She does everything for everybody.” Adrien tossed his bag on the couch and then flopped against it. “Lila is a manipulator and a liar. I couldn’t stand back and watch her tear Marinette down.” 

“But... but... but!” He sputtered. “I don’t even know what to say to you! I’m all for chaos and destruction, but not for your life, kid. You have plenty enough of that as it is.” 

Adrien let out a defeated sigh. He knew what he was getting himself into the moment he told her to lie to bring her back or else their photo shoot was off. But Marinette was important to him. He told her to just let the lies go. He never thought that something like this would happen. 

“Listen, I know you mean well and I know things aren’t the best around here. One more chaotic bad thing wouldn’t be all that terrible, would it?” 

“I don’t know, Adrien, this whole idea has rotten cheese written all over it. She’s using Marinette against you! Are you sure you want to go through with this? Is she really worth it?” 

Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course, he doesn’t want to go through with this. If Lila was conniving enough to get Marinette expelled and brought back within the next day and she was able to convince him, as Chat Noir, that she had been hurt to deliberately let Ladybug fend Onichan on her own, he could only imagine what Lila would do to him if he broke off their agreement this early on in the game. 

He picked up the remote and turned on the news. “For Marinette, yes it is.” 

Plagg took his time but floated over to his chosen with a disheartening look on his face. “I just want you to be safe when dealing with her. And if you think the devil is bringing you to hell further than what she’s done today, then get yourself out. I’ll protect you anyway I can, kid, even from a monster as terrible as her.” 

Adrien gave him a sad smile and reached out his palm to allow the sprite to sit upon it. He gave him a little pat on the head with his finger. “I know you don’t like the mushy stuff, but I’m so glad to have you as a friend.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Plagg waved his paw in the air, his tone decorated with some playful sarcasm. He waited a moment before turning back to Adrien, his features relaxed. “I’m glad that you’re in my life too, kitten.” 

_“...and this week, we’ll be visiting the set of Gabriel Agreste’s most recent photo shoot for an exclusive interview with his new muse, Miss Lila!”_

“Oh boy. It’s already all over the news.” Adrien said, unsurprised. But then he tilted his head in confusion. “Wait. Why is she the new muse?” 

Plagg just stared at the tv. “Did you know that you were going to be working with her like this?” 

“No. Well, it’s not like I know what’s going on until the last minute anyways. I was aware that there was a new muse and that I would be working with her directly. What I didn’t know was that it would be her. And when it comes to interviews, I do them all the time because I’m the ‘face of the brand’ and muses are considered special circumstances when they do interviews too. But she just started yesterday and now _she’s_ considered the new muse? That’s... odd.” 

Plagg only shrugged his shoulders. “Well, hopefully pigtails hasn’t watched the news or else she’ll think you really took Lila’s side.” 

Adrien went pale. “Oh no, Plagg. I didn’t even think about that! She’s going to hate me!” 

“Then why don’t you call her up and talk to her?” 

Adrien lunged towards his school bag to grab his phone and search his contacts for her number. He clicked it and ran his hand through his hair, nervously waiting for her to pick up. After the third ring, he heard the stuttering hello on the other end of the phone. 

_“He- hello?”_

“Marinette? Hey, It’s Adrien. I mean, you know it’s Adrien, you have my number and saw the contact, or maybe you don’t and I just assumed. I’m sorry I assumed, please don’t-” 

_“Adrien, relax.”_ She said, interrupting the uneasiness in his voice. _“You’re rambling. That’s my job.”_

Adrien let out a defeated sigh that was mixed in with a chuckle. “Sorry.” 

_“It’s okay.”_ She said quietly. _“It’s nice of you to call. Do you need something?”_

“Yeah, actually. But I wanted to ask you something first.” _How was he supposed to ask this question?_ “Uhm. How’s your day going so far?” _Smooth._

_“Interesting. Really interesting. My family and I were called in to Mr. Damocles office about an hour ago. Lila had confessed that she has this terrible lying disease and that she made this whole thing up due to whatever. All I know is that she lied to get me into this mess and then lied to get me out of it. I’m grateful now that I’ll be back to school tomorrow, only... I’m not sure why she did it.”_

Adrien let out a happy sigh this time. After the day he had, this was the news he was waiting to hear. Lila actually figured out a way to bring her back. 

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. It was weird not to have you there today.” 

The line went quiet for a little bit. “Marinette? Are you still there?” 

_“Yeah.”_ Her tone sounded off. _“I’m still here.”_

“I did want to tell you something, though. Lila was hired as a model for Gabriel. She was at the photo shoot that I was suddenly scheduled for right after lunch yesterday. Apparently, she’s Gabriel’s new muse and because I’m the brand, I’m required to have most of my photo shoots with her.” 

Marinette responded quietly. _“Did you know she was the new muse?”_

“No. I didn’t.” 

_“Okay.”_ She sounded unsure. 

He wasn’t sure if her tone was because she didn’t believe him or if she assumed the worse, but he couldn’t just let her think he was on her side. “Marinette. I just wanted you to know that I know she lied to get you expelled. I know she framed you. Alya tried to find clues to see who did this to you and came up empty. I couldn’t sit there knowing she did that to you and then find out on the same day I have to work with her.” 

_“It’s okay, Adrien. Thanks for trying to come to my defense yesterday. I know you don’t have control over what your father does-”_

“No!” He pulled his hair, exasperated. “Marinette. I threatened Lila. I don’t know how or why she got into the brand and as a muse on top of it, but I don’t think it was a coincidence that it happened on the same day you got expelled.” 

_“Wait,”_ Marinette sounded shocked, _“_ _you threatened her?_ _”_

“Yeah. She got you expelled with her lies so I told her I wouldn’t model with her unless she did something to get you back into school. She didn’t deny any of it!” 

_“But why? You know what she’s capable of! She’s going to use this against you! I can’t let you do that!”_

“Because you didn’t deserve it!” Marinette stayed quiet. “You don’t deserve to be at the end of her lies. You don’t deserve to be targeted. You only do amazing things for everyone and all you get in return is to be removed from school. It’s not fair, it wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry I told you to leave her be. I’m a jerk and I should have never let her go past the first lie. This is all my fault and I’m so sorry that I let you down.” 


	7. Trust Barriers

_“Adrien.”_ She whispered. Her voice sounding small. 

Adrien could hear the sniffles as she tried to hold back her tears. His own were starting to well up too. The thought of hurting her to the point that this happened caused a wave of grief to hit him like a ton of bricks. 

“Marinette, I’m so sorry.” 

The line went quiet and Adrien believed she had hung up on him. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she did – he deserved it. He was surprised that when he pulled back the phone to see if it was true, she was still on the call. 

He sighed. “Marinette? I- I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore.” 

_“Adrien. How could I ever lose you as a friend when you did something so selfless to help me?”_

“Are you upset?” 

_“I won’t lie Adrien, but yes I am. You barely have enough free time as it is. The last thing I wanted you to do is sell your soul to her. I could have handled it a different way. It’s not like this is the first time she’s done something like this to me. I’ve dealt with her before and I’ll just do it again.”_

“What do you mean she’s done this before?” 

Marinette bit her lip. She realized her slip up and tried her best to move forward past it. _“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”_

“Marinette?” His voice wavered into one full of uneasiness. “What did she do to you?” 

When Marinette didn’t respond, Adrien decided to face time her instead. She finally answered the video call after a few rings, but when she answered, he could see that she didn’t want to look up at him. She had the phone in her hands, her arms most likely laid against her legs for stability, and her shoulders were slumped forward along with her head. Her eyes were focused towards the floor but from the angle she had placed him, Adrien could see the tear streaks that ran down her cheeks. The sight of her broken posture broke his heart further. 

He whispered. “Marinette. What did she do to you?” 

Without moving her gaze, she spoke. Her voice shaky. _“Um... She threatened me.”_

_She what?_ He felt sick to his stomach. “Marinette? What do you mean she threatened you?” 

She winced. _“She cornered me in the bathroom. Told me if I didn’t listen to her, she would make me lose my friends, lose you.”_ She laughed bitterly. _“Seems like she succeeded.”_

“Marinette! Why didn’t you tell me?” 

_“You told me to take the high road. I wanted to keep your trust so I ignored her as best I could. I guess it didn’t work because she still found a way to ruin me.”_

Adrien’s stomach twisted with guilt. His words caused more damage than he ever imagined. 

The dam he tried so hard to hold back broke and the tears fell. “I don’t know how I can ever make this up to you. I never imagined that she would go this far. I just thought- I just thought that she just wanted to make friends. I thought she was just lying to make it seem like her life was amazing when it’s possibly so awful that lying seemed better. I should have never let it get this far.” 

Marinette looked up and watched him as he broke into pieces. Her heart fell too, their minds not knowing where to go from there. The tension between them seemed to feel bleak, but Marinette couldn’t let it break their friendship. It seemed like they were both too important to each other to let that happen. 

She breathed in a heavy breath and decided to break the silence. _“Adrien. Let’s just try to move past this. You trying to take blame for all of this when in reality, we can both be to blame. But we shouldn’t. We were only trying to do what’s best, and the best was not the brightest idea.”_

Adrien looked up, his eyes were red and full of unshed tears, but he watched her halt her own pain to remove the blame from him. This only showed him how strong of a person she really was. How _amazing_ she truly is. 

“What do you think we should do?” He said, somberly. He wiped his face with his hand, not caring how un-model-like he looked at that very moment. 

Another bitter laugh escaped her lips. _“Honestly? I don’t know. I just want to go up to her and prove every one of her lies wrong in front of everyone. But that would only cause me to look jealous or a terrible person - worse than what people are thinking of me - and then I would have to handle the_ _repercussions_ _of that. If you tried doing anything on your end, she could just use me against you. Or it could be even worse. She could ask your dad to do something on her behalf.”_

He nodded but realized how she worded her thoughts. “No, Marinette. Anything that she does to you would be worse than anything that she could do towards me. Even if that means convincing my father that I’m useless or the sort. Unless she convinces him that I shouldn’t be in school, but then that means she wouldn’t able to use me like she has all day.” 

_“Wait, she’s using you? What do you mean she’s-”_

Adrien waved off her worry. “The only thing that I could think of being worse than removing me from school would be if he forbade me to see you ever again. He’s already banned Nino from my house, but yet I still find time to hang out with him. But to not be able to see you? Then no. There’s nothing worse.” 

Marinette turned pink. He figured it was from his words, but he tried to pretend he didn’t notice. He didn’t want to fluster her more. She still didn’t know he heard her confession. 

She cleared her throat. _“Fine. Then let’s try to stay clear of her. Maybe just keep the peace until we come up with something? But as long as we watch out for each other, I think we’ll be okay.”_

“All I ask is that you tell me if she does anything towards you. I mean anything – she looks at you wrong, she mentions your name, she even breaths close to you – you tell me. Because the moment she does or even whispers a word to you, I’m done. I mean it. I’ll rip my contract in front of my father. I’ll refuse to work for him anymore. I’ll do anything I can but work with her.” 

_“Adrien. You- you don’t have to do that. I’m not worth it.”_

“No, Marinette. You _are_ worth it. I mean it. Please.” His eyes pleaded for her to understand how sincere he was being. When he saw that she understood, he continued. “If she does anything, anything at all, then I’m done. I’m not going to take her hurting my friends anymore. It won’t happen and I won’t let it. Never again.” 

She pushed a stray tendril behind her ear. _“Oh-okay. I’ll tell you. I promise. As long as you promise to do the same.”_

He smiled. “I promise.” 

She smiled back at his words. Finally, she real smile, one that he hadn’t seen in days. One thing he noticed was that he didn’t realize how much he missed her smile until it brightened up across his screen. Though as soon as it arrived, it was gone. Marinette turned to a muffled noise in the background and she turned back to him with a frown. 

_“Hey. I’m sorry, but I have to go._ _Maman_ _wants me back in the bakery to help out with the afternoon rush. I’ll see you tomorrow?”_

Adrien smiled. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

_“Bye, Adrien. And thank you.”_

“Bye, Marinette.” 

* * *

The afternoon felt better than it had over the last two days. His guilt was mostly gone now that he and Marinette were on better terms now that they both knew where they stood on the whole Lila debacle. 

Yeah, they had an idea of what to do for right now, but he knew that it wasn’t enough. He wished there was something he could do to expose her lies, even if it was something small, maybe even to expose her for what happened with the exam answers. But, how could he without hurting them both? 

When the bell rang, Nino started conversing about a new mix tape he started making during lunch. He mentioned how Alya liked it, but she wasn’t into the same type of beats and was hoping that Adrien could have a listen and give his take on it. 

Adrien decided that he could try to play stupid and just continue walking with Nino, pretending that Lila wasn’t in the same room to “help” her with her things. So, he just continued to walk, not seeing her wave him down to help. 

He was able to make it through the hallway and down to the courtyard before Nino had to part ways when Alya called out to him, and he happily obliged as he made his way to the locker room. But before he could get to his locker, he was caught in her path. 

“Adrien!” The now highly annoying voice rang through the room. “You forgot to help me when the bell rang, silly” 

Adrien facepalmed. “I am so sorry, Lila. I needed to get to my locker before our next class and I didn’t want to be rude to Nino and end his conversation mid-thought.” 

“Oh, no worries Adrien. Sometimes _forgetting_ things, especially when it’s not usually part of your normal routine, can happen quite often.” 

Adrien came up with another idea. Hopefully this one wouldn’t blow up in his face. Seeing Alya and Nino walking into locker room behind her, he continued. “You’re right, Lila. Forgetting something isn’t quite normal for me, but maybe you can help me remember so I won’t do it again?” 

“Sure Adrien, I would love to help you with this little problem. What is it that you need?” 

He gave her a small smile, like he was thankful for her help, but really it was his Chat Noir smile, the one that meant he had a plan to spoil her fun. 

“Well, this morning you told me that you have a lying disease and that sometimes you have a hard time keeping reality separated from what your mind tells you. It sounds like this is the same idea as forgetfulness because you have to try to make sense of what’s around you. How do you keep from forgetting?” 

“Lila, you have a lying disease?” Alya turned to her, concerned for her friend. 

The anger that shot through Lila’s eyes was terrifyingly quick. He caught it, just barely, but he knew that she had been caught in her lie and that there was no way out. 

Lila turned to Alya and noticed that Nino was also there. A few passing students could also be seen behind them. They seemed to be hovering without looking like they were eavesdropping. 

“Uh, yeah.” She said, nervously. “I don’t tell very many people about it because I’m afraid people won’t like me anymore, especially if they think that all the words that come out of my mouth are lies.” 

She looked down to her feet, yet she continued her words with a sad tone. “I only tell my closest confidants. It usually happens when I get really upset about something or in the rare times I become angry, but sometimes my mind plays tricks on me and I think the tricks are a reality.” 

“You’re the reason why Marinette was expelled? You lied about those things because you were upset?” 

“Dude, not cool.” Nino shook his head. “Marinette didn’t deserve that.” 

Adrien could hear the fear in her voice. He tried to stifle the smile, so he bit his lip to keep himself from smirking instead. 

“Please don’t be mad at me, Alya. It was an accident and I fixed it all up. I came in this morning and spoke to Mr. Damocles. Marinette has been reinstated and she’ll be back first thing tomorrow!” 

Alya and Nino looked at each other. “No worries, Lila. At least you fixed it. Marinette didn’t deserve that, though. Next time when you’re upset, just let me know something’s up and I’ll make sure you are aware of what’s going on.” 

“Thank you so much for not judging me.” 

“I got you girl. I’ll talk to you later. I guess I should grab Marinette’s homework so she doesn’t get behind.” 

“Oh, perfect! She’ll be so happy. Bye you too.” She said with a wave. 

As soon as she was alone again, Lila turned to Adrien. “You will pay for this.” She seethed. 

“Be careful, Lila. Friends don’t get angry with friends. And plus, you don’t want to alter your reality with your anger. Can’t have you lie to hurt anyone else now, can we?” 

Lila growled and turned on her heel to head straight out the locker room doors. Plagg floated out of Adrien’s overshirt and watched the girl yell past the doors. 

“Well, I guess the devil won’t be dragging you through the mud anymore.” 

“Nope,” Adrien said with a devious smile, “and now that Alya and Nino knows what she’s capable of, and possibly a few others, it won’t be long before people question what she says.” 

Plagg smirked. “Maybe a little chaos wasn’t such a bad thing after all.” 

Adrien pulled out Marinette’s lucky charm from his pocket and rubbed the beads with his thumb. “Especially when I have my lucky charm with me, it’s not.” 


	8. Growing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone! I know it's been a hot minute since I've updated. I had some major writer's block with this story. I needed to keep it at Adrien's POV while keeping with the timeline of the story (according to production order) and making everything make sense in the end. Now that I know where I'm going with this story, I did want to include a few tags, including one that may excite some of you.
> 
> IDENTITY REVEAL! 
> 
> I won't say when it happens, but it will all make sense as the story progresses. Thanks for holding tight and I hope you enjoy the next few chapters. (Hint: Next chapter will be the Heart Hunter rewrite episode.)

Seeing Marinette walk into school the next day brought a smile to Adrien’s face. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Nino to arrive. He wasn’t expecting her to arrive early, but he guessed her expulsion and few days off made her want to get back to school to see her friends again. 

As she walked towards his direction, he noticed that she had a small white box grasped between her hands. From his position, he could see the subtle shyness in Marinette’s face, her eyes darting between him, the box, and the ground, but when she stood in front of him, the bright smile he had come to appreciate, prevailed. 

“Marinette! I’m so happy to see you back.” Adrien couldn’t contain the giddiness in his voice. He reached out and slowly engulfed her in a hug, and thankfully, Marinette didn’t freeze or turn away from his gesture. 

Marinette giggled at his excitement and hugged him back. “I’m glad to be back.” She said as she pulled back, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear in the process. She looked at him again and handed him the box. “Here. This is small considering what you’ve done for me, but I wanted to thank you for helping me and getting me back into school.” 

“Marinette.” Adrien replied back with adoration and taking the box into his hands. He opened the box to see a small array of croissants, macrons, and danishes. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my friend. I would do anything to help my friends.” 

Marinette smiled, but he could see it was strained. She quickly looked down before looking back up to him shyly, tapping the box with her index finger. “And friends still treat their friends with treats. You deserve it.” 

There was a twinge of guilt in his chest, but before he could answer, Alya arrived. She wrapped her arm around Marinette’s shoulders, bringing the bluenette back into cheerful territory. 

“Girl, you’re here before us? Is this the start of a new Marinette?” 

“Ha. Ha.” Marinette added sarcastically. “I thought I would try to get in early to see Ms. Bustier. I know you brought me the homework last night, but I wanted to ask her a few questions about the assignments I missed. And maybe even ask for an extension so I can get them done correctly. Especially with math. Looking over that last assignment... I was so confused!” 

Adrien’s interest peaked. “If you need _sum_ one to help you, Marinette, I can always lend a _cow_ culator. You can _count_ on me.” 

Marinette and Alya looked over to Adrien, their jaws opened in confusion. 

“Did you- did you just offer to help me with not one, but three puns?” 

Adrien’s grin reached his eyes. “And what if I did?” 

Marinette groaned and then looked over at him before she let out a laugh. “You surprise me every day, Adrien.” 

“Well, since you’re going to head inside, I’m just going to wait up for Nino here before going in. You waiting with me sunshine?” 

"Actually, I’ll head in with Marinette. I have to talk to Ms. Bustier about something anyways.” He said to Alya before turning to Marinette. “But my offer still stands to help you with your homework, sans puns of course.” 

“S-sure.” Marinette replied, unsure for a moment but then ultimately agreed. “I’ll let you know if I need help then. Thanks.” 

They made their way into the school, the silence between them becoming somewhat tense. Adrien let out a sigh before breaking the tension with something that would brighten her day. 

“So a few more people know that Lila lied.” He said casually. Marinette looked over to him as he continued, her jaw open in surprise. “I happened to hear our best friends coming through the doors and kind of planted a rouse to get her to spill?” 

“Wait. You mean Alya and Nino know she lied?” Marinette said quietly, her eyes wide with shock. 

“Not just them. I saw a few students lingering behind them eavesdropping. Of course, she made up a lie saying she lies when she’s upset or angry, but I would be surprised if anyone truly believes her lies now, or at least questions what she says before believing her completely.” 

“I doubt it. But it would be nice if people did question her words. I’m surprised Alya didn’t mention it to me or call me last night.” 

Adrien shrugged. “Maybe she thought your phone was taken away still? I’m not sure. But I guess we’ll see what happens.” 

Marinette bit her lip. “I guess. We just have to stay vigilant. I just hope she doesn’t do anything to you since she might have trouble keeping anyone on her side now.” 

Adrien stopped her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. It doesn’t matter what happens now. We’ll figure it out as we go along. But I’m always going to be on your side. Don’t forget that. Remember, if she says anything to you, anything at all, you tell me. And I’ll do the same if she says something to me.” 

Marinette remained silent, but nodded her head to agree. 

“We’re partners in crime, Marinette.” He gave her a wink. “Like... Ladybug and Chat Noir bringing down the villain.” 

That got a laugh out of her. In response, Marinette lifted her fist up. “Then if we are a team, then we should rejoice as such. Pound it?” 

Adrien smiled back, a real smile with a jovial laugh. He lifted his fist and pressed it against hers. “Pound it.” 

* * *

“Alright, class.” Ms. Bustier announced as the class shuffled in. We are going to be in groups today to work on Shakespeare. Each group will choose and focus on one of his plays and will come up with the modern representation. It will be a one-page typed summary and you will have to act out a small part of the scene with the modern retelling. 

Murmurs could be heard in the class and Ms. Bustier quickly shut it down. 

“Now class. Go ahead and choose your partners. But all I ask is that you choose someone you have yet to work with. You have five minutes.” 

The four teens looked towards each other and Alya smirked. 

“Hey, Nino?” 

“Yeah, babe?” 

“Wanna partner together this time since I can’t partner with my bestie?” 

Nino shrugged his shoulders and looked over to Adrien. “Sorry, dude. Rules are rules.” 

“Hey, no worries, bro.” Adrien turned to Marinette. “Are you okay with working together?” 

“Y-yeah. I have no problem with that.” She added shyly, yet she still finished with that dazzling smile. 

Adrien smiled back and was about to say something when Ms. Bustier interrupted. 

“Alright students, sit with your partners and we can get started...” 

The rest of the day, Adrien and Marinette worked side by side, working on their summary and reiterating the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Adrien had requested the scene – the romantic in him could not deny that scene was impactful – and Marinette ultimately agreed after he bombarded her with one too many puns to twist her arm. 

He had never seen her smile or giggle so much. To say he didn’t enjoy it would be a lie, yet seeing her so free only made him happier and hopeful that their friendship was growing in a better way. She barely stuttered and had even thrown a few jokes back at him in return. 

“I can’t believe you joke like this. You’re just as bad as my dad!” She finally said after his last pun. 

“I’m just glad you’re enjoying it this time around. Especially seeing that last time I tried, I hurt you and we stopped talking for most of the day.” 

Marinette slowed her carefree laughter down until it was strained and forced. She pursed her lips and scratched her cheek, looking away from him and back down to the notes. “Yeah.” She finally said and Adrien felt the shift in the atmosphere into something uncomfortable. 

He probably shouldn’t have said much regarding that day. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-” 

“How are things going with the girl you love?” Marinette interrupted quickly. 

To him, it felt like she didn’t want him to apologize for what happened. Seems like she still felt like there was nothing to apologize for. Yet, Adrien looked at Marinette with a befuddled expression. She didn’t look up from her tablet, continuing to write down notes as she waited for his response. He let out a sigh and decided to write down some notes of his own. 

He wasn’t sure what was going on in her mind. If she really did like him, given the video confession, then why would she ask him about Ladybug? Wouldn’t that hurt her in asking and getting a response? 

Then another thought struck him. 

What if both he and Nino were wrong about Marinette’s confession? Maybe Marinette didn’t love him romantically and she was just being caring-Marinette and told him she loved him as a friend. She loved all her friends – she's said as much for as long as he had known her. If this was true, maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t said anything to her about it yet. He wouldn’t have to break her heart if she actually tried to confess. That means there was nothing to confess. 

So why did it bother him a little bit? 

“Are things okay between you two?” Marinette questioned him, bringing him out of his thoughts. “You didn’t answer my question.” 

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. No. Everything is great.” He began. “She’s been stressed out lately, but her determination speaks for itself. She protected me the other day during a duel.” He sighed with a lovesick smile and didn’t see the hurt in her face. The fact that Ladybug saved him instead of grabbing onto the Peacock miraculous or going after Hawkmoth made him love her more. But there was a twinge of guilt that started to weigh him down as he thought about Ladybug in front of Marinette. 

_Why?_

“She must be fierce to protect you.” She added, looking back at her notes to continue writing. “She also must have thick skin to have to deal with your puns.” She continued with an awkward chuckle. 

“Hey! She... likes them. Most of the time.” He pouted as he rubbed his neck. “One day she’ll fall for them and she wouldn’t know what to do with me.” 

“Then she’s a lucky gal.” She concluded. “Let’s get back to this project, okay?” 

Adrien furrowed his brows and looked at Marinette one more time before going back to his notes. 

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s finish this then.” 


	9. Moving On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back. I'm sorry it took me... shoot, 5 months (I actually thought it was longer) but good news! I have the rest of the fic planned out!
> 
> This is a short chapter, but it's a good catalyst for the next part of the story which will be Heart Hunter. This chapter was originally close to 3000 words, but if I actually edited it fully, it would have been closer to 5000. So this means I now have the next two chapters written, and that also means I should get the next chapter out within the next week (hopefully).
> 
> Also, check the tags for new additional stuff. The New York special has now been added.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> ❤ Coffee

Adrien woke up feeling absolutely confused. The room was still dark but the colorful speckles of sunlight began to illuminate the grand space of his room. He looked over and noticed that Plagg was still comfortably asleep on his pillow and Adrien decided that he didn’t want to wake the kwami up to evaluate his dream.

He reached over to his tabletop and gathered his phone, realizing he still had another hour before he needed to get up for the day. While it was a Saturday, there wasn’t much that needed to be done as he gained an unexpected day off his normally packed weekend. The only thing he needed to do was go on an early morning patrol before attending the Bourgeois anniversary party in person that afternoon on behalf of his father.

He rolled his eyes at the thought of being there. At least Kagami would be there to help hold back the boredom of the festivities.

Adrien sighed as he leaned back against the pillows. He stared at the ceiling while thinking over his dream, the feeling of sadness and confusion wreaking havoc on his heart and mind.

It started with Ladybug smiling at him. It was probably after something he said—he wasn’t entirely sure—before looking to the side and frowning. Adrien remembered that he frowned too, before following her gaze and noticing Kagami beside her. She had a smile on her face, sincerity and happiness in her eyes as she looked right back at him. He could feel himself smile before something made him hesitate.

His dream became fuzzy for a moment, but then he remembered seeing Marinette staring out to the Seine and that action made him wonder. She was leaning over the stone wall, her arms crossed over the top. She looked as though she was trying to make herself smaller, her shoulders slumped over as she let out a heavy sigh. He could see the sliver of a frown on her face, but he gasped as he noticed the tears running along her cheeks.

Adrien wanted to reach out to her. He remembered that he tried to stick his arms out in hopes to reach her, even going as far as trying to call out to her and ask her what was wrong. But suddenly, Kagami came back to the dream and took his hand moving him away from her. At the same moment, he noticed that Ladybug was in the process of swinging away, making him feel more and more confused as the dream continued on.

Hearing Kagami’s soft-spoken words made him forget the world around him for a moment, that was until the sounds of screams could be heard. He looked around to see if there was an akuma, but instead, he caught the scene of Marinette falling into the water jarring him enough to shake himself from her grasp.

He couldn’t transform with Kagami being right there, so he rushed over to the wall to see where she could have gone.

“Marinette!” He screamed out as he continued to stare into the very calm water. There was no indication that anyone fell.

“Marinette?” Kagami calmly stated. “Don’t you mean Ladybug? She left.”

Adrien looked at Kagami with another confused expression. “I just saw Marinette fall into the river. Why did Ladybug leave?”

“Marinette isn’t here, silly. You just talked to her.” _He did?_ “She was with Luka, remember?” _She was?_

Adrien continued to think it over, his head beginning to hurt as he did. “Then who screamed?”

“No one screamed. Ladybug yelled out that it’s okay and move on. Change targets.”

_Move on? Change targets? But…_

Adrien sighed as he blinked away the remnants of the dream. He stared out once again to the ceiling. Why was Ladybug upset? Why was Marinette upset? Why was Kagami the only one okay with everything?

 _“It’s okay to move on…”_ Was this a sign?

As much as he hated to say it, the words tasting bitter on his tongue, but maybe this was the sign that he needed to try. He just had to confirm it one last time.

* * *

Chat and Ladybug looked over the city, the warmth overtaking them as they relaxed. They had just finished patrol and they were enjoying the quiet moment to themselves before going back to the chaos of their lives.

“Oh, by the way, I didn’t tell you, did I? I have a girlfriend.” Chat announced happily, even though the thought turned his stomach.

“Really? That’s so awesome!” Ladybug replied with a smile, the cheerful tone stabbing him in the heart.

“No, it’s not awesome at all. I just said that to make you jealous.”

Ladybug softened her expression as she looked at him. “I can’t be in love with you, Chat Noir. You know that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it.” Chat looked down, looking pained at the response that would shape the next chapter of his life. “But it still hurts.”

Chat removed his staff as he let out a heavy sigh, leaving his lady along with the remnants of his shattered heart behind him.

* * *

Chat Noir leaped into his room before calling off his transformation.

Sitting in the chair, he pulled out his phone, once again going through his gallery as he thought over the last attempt at trying to woo his lady’s heart. He let out a sigh before the ringing of his computer screen alerted him to a notification.

 _Oh._ He thought. _One of his friends had posted a new photo._

A small smirk curled on his lips as he noticed who had posted the image before moving on to reading the small caption that told the world what the photo was about. Marinette and Kagami had gone out for orange juice, both smiling as they sat at a table, the Notre Dame could be seen right behind them. His eyes softened as he continued to stare at the picture, finally clicking the heart button after a few moments to share his appreciation of his two friends.

 _Maybe everything will be okay…_ he thought as he continued to stare at the photo.

“Ha…” Plagg sighed out, stuffing his face with a wedge of Camembert as he continued to speak and letting out a small giggle at the end. “You finally realized that there is more than one type of cheese in this world.”

Adrien furrowed his brows as he turned to his kwami, the small creature sitting comfortably on top of his fencing team’s photo.

He was about to retort, but the hard knocks to his door made him pause.

“Adrien,” Nathalie called out to him through the door before opening it to address him personally. “It’s time to go to the Bourgeois party. Your father is expecting you to attend with the utmost professionalism.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, silently wishing he could skip this entirely.

“Yes, Nathalie,” Adrien responded back before standing up and heading towards the door to follow her into the foyer.

“Remember, Miss Tsurugi will be in attendance. You will accompany her and her mother during the event.

Adrien only nodded as they made their way to the waiting sedan, the confusion from earlier making him feel off.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr: CoffeeComicsGalore


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